Some schools in Wales are failing to meet their legal obligation to teach Religion, Values, and Ethics (RVE), a mandatory subject under the Curriculum for Wales, according to a new report from Bangor University.
Researchers found that some schools allocate as little as 15-20 minutes a week or less to the subject, while two schools did not teach it at all, despite its mandatory status. The report, Religion, Values and Ethics in Wales: A National Analysis of Secondary School Provision under the Curriculum for Wales (2026), is described as the most comprehensive study of RVE provision undertaken in Wales to date.
Findings from the national analysis
The researchers used information from a freedom of information request covering all 195 secondary schools in Wales. Findings are based on responses from 135 schools, representing almost 70% of the country's secondary schools.
RVE comes under the humanities area of learning and experience in the Curriculum for Wales and is mandatory for all pupils from ages three to 16. Parents and carers cannot withdraw their child from RVE lessons, which are a compulsory part of the school curriculum.
Two-tier system and cliff-edge
Despite this, Bangor University's National Centre of Religious Education for Wales found what they described as a growing "two-tier system," with GCSE and non-GCSE learners experiencing markedly different levels of RVE provision, and some none at all. They described a Year 10 to 11 "cliff-edge" in which curriculum time and specialist teaching drop sharply after year nine.
One of the report's authors, Dr Gareth Evans-Jones, said there was a wider issue beyond RVE about whether statutory curriculum entitlements can be delivered so differently across schools that pupils' education depends on where they are educated.
"That could be deemed a question of educational equity, accountability, and fairness," he said, as he called for clearer definition from the Welsh Government on what mandatory means. He said there are "questions about whether all learners are receiving consistent access to the knowledge, skills, and experiences intended by the Curriculum for Wales."
Variation in delivery and recommendations
Dr Evans-Jones and co-authors Professor Lucy Huskinson, Dr Joshua Andrews, and Rachel Healand-Sloan looked at how schools are interpreting and implementing the new statutory RVE requirements introduced under the Curriculum for Wales.
"While the findings highlight examples of innovative and highly effective practice they also reveal substantial variation in how RVE is delivered," they said. "In some schools researchers found evidence of reduced curriculum time, fragmented delivery models, declining access to specialist teachers and, in a small number of cases, the apparent absence of dedicated RVE provision despite the subject's mandatory status."
Dr Evans-Jones said while they discovered examples of "outstanding practice" across Wales, the findings also raised serious questions about consistency, equity, and entitlement to a mandatory subject. "The presence of RVE in schools is not the same as adequate provision. In some schools, the subject exists on paper but amounts to only minutes of teaching in reality," he said.
"This is a pressing issue because we are living in an age of extreme polarisation in society. Learners need to develop the ability to think critically in order to grapple with the challenges of today. At a time when young people are navigating complex questions of identity, belief, ethics, misinformation and global uncertainty, access to high-quality Religion, Values, and Ethics education matters more than ever."
The report makes nine recommendations for policymakers, school leaders, and those running education. These include clearer national expectations regarding curriculum time, stronger protection for RVE in Years 10 and 11, and "more robust monitoring of statutory provision."
Dr Andrews added: "The Curriculum for Wales has created important opportunities for innovation and creative curriculum design. Our findings suggest that the next phase of reform should focus on ensuring that flexibility does not come at the expense of consistency, progression, or equity. Every learner in Wales should have meaningful access to high-quality RVE."
Formal versus substantive compliance
The report argues Wales faces a growing gap between what it terms 'formal compliance' and 'substantive compliance.' While schools may be able to demonstrate that RVE is present somewhere in their curriculum structures, this does not necessarily mean that learners receive a coherent, progressive, and intellectually rigorous programme of study, it warns.
In GCSE years 10 and 11, where curriculum time "often declines sharply," the provision of RVE that pupils get depends on whether they study GCSE religious studies as an option. Pupils who don't study for the specific qualification are more likely to have reduced RVE teaching time, less specialist input, and more "fragmented" provision, the researchers found.
Following Wales' recent dire Pisa results, in which teenagers lagged behind the rest of the UK once again, the Bangor University researchers' report suggests that ensuring equitable access to high-quality RVE is not just a matter of meeting statutory requirements but part of the wider issue of ensuring young people have access to knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ethical understanding.
The Welsh Government said it was "considering the findings of the report" and that RVE is an important subject. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) is a mandatory and important part of the Curriculum for Wales. It supports learners to develop their understanding of different religions, beliefs, and philosophical convictions, and to engage thoughtfully and critically with complex ethical issues. These skills are particularly important as young people navigate misinformation, online hate, polarisation and increasingly complex questions about identity, belief and belonging. We are considering the findings of this report carefully and will discuss them with relevant stakeholders as we continue to support effective delivery of RVE across Wales."
A Qualifications Wales spokesman said: "Decisions about education policy and the delivery of the curriculum in schools are made by the Welsh Government. These decisions sit outside of our remit as the independent regulator of qualifications in Wales."
The Bangor University report follows Estyn's 2024-25 review of the humanities area of learning and experience in the Curriculum for Wales, which found significant variability across Wales. Estyn highlighted that RVE and geography were often underrepresented and that pupils don't always study humanities subjects in sufficient depth. In some schools, insufficient curriculum time and a lack of specialist expertise limited pupils' opportunities to engage meaningfully with key disciplines, the Estyn report found.
